The Daily Sweeper (August 4)

Things are very bad in LaLaLand — GM Alexi Lalas and the struggling LA Galaxy (winless in seven games) may well be parting ways, according to Greg Lalas: “A source close to Major League Soccer’s glamour franchise tells me that Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Galaxy, made an unannounced visit to the team’s locker room this past week and issued a grim ultimatum: Get things on the right track in the next two weeks or there will be dire consequences.”

The MLS Players Union is stepping up their protest over the bonuses for winning the SuperLiga, as players from both teams agree to split the money, as the Union ramps up its public relations battle with the league by labeling the final an “exhibition”. MLS Commisioner Don Garber hit back right away at the Union.

Just when you thought it was safe. . .Game 39 returns, albeit in a dramatically different format. Henry Winters writes in the Telegraph that “England’s elite clubs are determined to exploit their international popularity by staging mini-competitions in places like Asia, Australia, Africa and North America, during a 12-day winter break.” The Offside’s commentary is on the ball: whilst this removes much of the problem with Game 39, is it really good for English football to cram in more matches in the middle of winter?

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MLS commissioner Don Garber: “I would expect that our players would be playing for the pride of being the best team of eight teams in this tournament. I don’t recall anybody ever talking about what the players’ share of prize money is for winning the MLS Cup. … They are playing for the trophy. … I don’t know how, all of a sudden, this became, whether through the media or the players, about the only thing that matters in this tournament is prize money. I don’t ever hear that in MLS [for the MLS Cup]. I don’t hear that at the World Cup. I don’t hear that at Copa Libertadores. I don’t hear that in the Champions League, do you? … The players [in SuperLiga] are getting a pretty darn good payday for five games.”

Does this mean all the MLS teams will try in the US Open Cup now? Probably not.